St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Renews Rivalry With Local Foe Fordham
3/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 30, 2010
| Live Video | Live Audio
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's softball team returns to New York to take on local rival Fordham at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Murphy Field in the Bronx.
Gametracker live stats will be available free of charge through Fordham's website fordhamsports.com. CBS All-Access live video will be available through fordhamsports.com for a fee. The game will also be broadcast live on WFUV 90.7 FM and online through wfuv.org
The Red Storm leads the all-time series against Fordham, 11-3. The teams met last season in Queens when the Rams edged STJ, 4-2. St. John's catcher Kacee Cox, then a sophomore, went 2-of-3 in the game with a two-run home run to center field. Then-sophomore Chelsea Durning was 2-of-3 with one double and one run scored.
St. John's is making its first trip to the Bronx in 20 years. The last time STJ played at Fordham was April 5, 1991. St. John's, then known as the Regals, took a 15-3 victory, out-hitting Fordham 11-6. The Rams committed six errors in the game.
For the Red Storm, Wednesday's game is the second of five games against local rivals on its 2010 schedule. St. John's hosted Hofstra on March 24 and STJ will face the Pride again April 21 in Hempstead, N.Y. The Red Storm will take on Iona on April 28 and Long Island on April 29 at Red Storm Field.
Last weekend's Coastal Carolina Tournament rounded out St. John's non-conference tournament play for the season. Through five non-conference tournaments, STJ tallied a 9-6 record in neutral site games. All of the Red Storm's remaining regular season games will either be home or away.
St. John's opens BIG EAST play this weekend when it travels to face Connecticut April 2-3. The Red Storm will play a single game against the Huskies on April 2 and a doubleheader on April 3.
SCOUTING FORDHAM
The Rams are 23-6 this season and 2-0 at home. Fordham received 10 votes in this week's ESPN/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll and 14 votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll.
Fordham is currently riding a five-game winning streak with monster victories over James Madison, Saint Peter's (two), and Dayton (two). The Rams have scored 10 or more runs in each of those contests and have outscored their opponents 70-7 over that stretch. The most lop-sided win was a 21-1 decision at Saint Peter's on March 24.
The Rams are led offensively by senior Erin Fisher, who is batting .400 with team-high 10 home runs and 29 RBI. She also leads the team with 10 steals. Fisher's 10 home runs are tied for 19th-most among NCAA Division I softball players. Junior Beckah Wiggins is bagging .394 with eight home runs and a team-best 36 RBI. Wiggins also has eight stolen bases.
Fordham boasts one of the best pitchers in the country in sophomore righty Jen Mineau. Her 0.67 ERA and her 245 strikeouts each rank third in the nation and her 17 victories are tied for eighth. Mineau (17-3) has thrown 125.2 innings this season and opponents are batting just .122 against her. The Rams also get quality innings from junior Chelsea Plimpton and freshman Jamie LaBovick. Plimpton is 4-2 on the year with a 2.76 ERA over 38.0 innings. LaBovick has a 1-1 record with a 2.31 ERA over 33.1 frames.
